Bangladesh Bus Tales

As a small child if we went anywhere with my mother it would be on a bus. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting with my sister behind the drivers cab which was isolated from the rest of the bus. We loved watching the driver steering the bus in his small cabin. For me it might as well have been the capsule of a Vostok spacecraft. Second in command of this wonderful vehicle was the conductor. He or she could fly about the bus and hang off the platform in a way that inspired awe from younger passengers. In addition to their gymnastic passage through the bus they could also entertain, comment on international affairs, recite poetry and evict handfuls of yobs from the upper saloon without violence. It was such a shame when conducters were ‘phased out’ from buses in pursuit of higher profits.

I was amazed last year when I got on a bus in Bow to find it half full but strangely silent. I wondered if everyone had been drugged or if they were in a transitional process on the way to becoming zombies. As I sat down I noticed large video screens showing live images of passengers in various parts of the bus sequenced in a way that would assure the transmission of their image every 30 seconds. These omnibus portraits were interspersed with advertising for garden centres and other interesting places you might want to visit on the bus route. For a moment I thought I was watching Fox News –  perhaps I was. Anyway it was at this point that I understood how boring the present day ‘digital bus’ in London is compared to its ‘analogue’ parent.

It was with some satisfaction that on my last visit to Bangadesh in 2009 I was able to indulge my affection for older buses. I can confirm that in Bangladesh the conductors are able to fly about with great ease in order to keep this important service moving.

The eloquent gesture of the conductors right hand (above) guides new passengers onto his bus. The gesture has a reassuring welcoming quality about it that suggests imminent luxury; it’s all part of the service.

The older bus (above) dwarfs the accompanying baby taxi. No longer in service the drivers cab is isolated from the passengers.

Rickshaws compliment the public transport system and are ideal for shorter journeys. In recent years congestion on roads has reached gridlock proportions. This is mainly because of the increase in car use. However it is often the poor rickshaw drivers who get the blame for the congestion.